The 1973 La Crosse mayor race and the city’s first female council member

The year 1973 was one of breaking barriers in La Crosse, when the city elected its first female council member, Sharon Imes. That was the same year W. Peter Gilbertson was running for his second term as mayor.

In the 1970s, La Crosse used to have elections for mayor every odd-numbered year.

That’s when Gilbertson was campaigning about lowering taxes as he ran for re-election. Gilbertson declared that his administration was the first in city history to substantially lower the property tax levy.

Gilbertson moved on from a three-person primary to face WKTY Radio general manager Phil Dyer in the April race.

The important issues in the mayor’s race included whether to move ahead with the Harborview project, putting up a new civic center — and other buildings close to the riverfront — and what to do with the former Central High School site on Cass Street, which eventually became Weigent Park.

The April election was a landslide win for Gilbertson, who scored 12,000 votes to 2,400 for Dyer. Gilbertson came close to winning a third term in 1975, but lost in that election to alderman Patrick Zielke, who eventually served 22 years as mayor.

A gender barrier was also broken at La Crosse City Hall that spring, when Imes became the first woman elected to the city council in the 117 years since the city’s founding.

Imes and her family had just moved to La Crosse from Madison four years earlier.

She told the La Crosse Tribune that she was not a feminist, but had been active with groups including the League of Woman Voters.

Imes also thought the existing 21-member council was too large. Two years later, Helen Kelly became the second woman to win a La Crosse council seat. Sharon Imes went on to challenge Pat Zielke in the 1979 election for mayor.

Imes passed away in December of 2023 at 84 years old.

The spring election in 1973 also opened the door to legalized gambling in Wisconsin.

Voters approved a referendum by 62% to allow charitable groups to raise money through BINGO games. Until that time, the state had a reputation for opposing most forms of gambling or games of chance, including national sweepstakes.

During awards season in the spring of 1973, “The Godfather,” with Marlon Brando in the title role, was named best picture at the Academy Awards. Brando was named best actor, with Liza Minnelli winning best actress for “Cabaret.” At the Grammy Awards, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack won the awards for both record of the year and best song of the year. On the concert stage, Pink Floyd began its first tour following the release of the album “Dark Side of the Moon” with a concert in Madison, where ticket prices ran as high as $4.50.